Washington — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the Supreme Court to put his name back on the New York ballot, even though he ended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump.
The independent presidential candidate was disqualified from New York poll in August, after a judge determined that Kennedy’s ties to the New York address “existed only on paper and were maintained for the sole purpose of maintaining his voter registration and political standing” in the state.
Lower courts rejected his attempts to challenge the decision.
In his emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, Kennedy argued that his supporters in the state “have a constitutional right to have Kennedy on the ballot – and to vote for him, whether he campaigns for their vote or not.”
“The address on Kennedy’s petition was and is completely immaterial, both to the voters and to New York,” his lawyers wrote, arguing that none of Kennedy’s supporters were misled by the address.
The Katonah, New York, address belongs to a friend of Kennedy’s. The friend testified that Kennedy paid her $500 a month for the room starting in May. The friend and Kennedy’s court records indicate that the presidential candidate spent only one night in the house.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is handling the emergency appeal, has requested a response from New York election officials by Wednesday afternoon.
Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and said he would withdraw his name from the ballot in 10 Statesincluding the seven key states where he believed his candidacy would hurt Trump’s chances of winning the election. Kennedy said his name would remain on the ballot in non-key states and encouraged voters in those states to vote for him anyway.
But since then, Kennedy has said his supporters in every state should vote for Trump and has called for his name to be removed from the ballot in more states than just those with close elections.
Kennedy’s name will not appear on the ballot in nearly 20 states, while it will be on the ballot in more than 30, according to the latest CBS News count.
Kennedy’s request is the latest election dispute to reach the Supreme Court. recently rejected an offer to place Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on the Nevada ballot.
